Petfood Forum 2017 will feature the most recent research on pet food nutrition, ingredients, marketing, safety and processing, plus several networking opportunities and a large exhibit hall. | John Grossman, Images Photographics

on February 27, 2017

Petfood Forum 2017 to present latest pet food research

Exclusive conference's 25th edition also features keynotes by Randi Zuckerberg and Temple Grandin

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Petfood Forum, scheduled for April 3-5 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, will feature the most recent research on pet food nutrition, ingredients, marketing, safety and processing. In addition, keynotes Randi Zuckerberg and Temple Grandin, PhD, will open and close the conference with unique and inspirational insights.

Pet food professionals can learn from many experts during Petfood Forum, which takes places at the Kansas City Convention Center in the heart of the Animal Health Corridor. New to the conference for 2017, a track on hot topics offers in-depth discussions of key areas such as biologically appropriate raw pet food, answering both marketing and regulatory needs while considering novel ingredients, and dealing with upset “pet parents.” Other concurrent tracks will cover specific novel ingredients, nutrition research, the pet food market and marketing topics, and processing, safety and packaging.

The conference portion of Petfood Forum 2017 will open on April 4 with a keynote by Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and former director of market development for Facebook, on how to use social media and other marketing platforms to reach today’s consumers. Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University, livestock-welfare consultant and best-selling author, will deliver the closing keynote on April 5 with insights on animal behavior to help pet food professionals better understand their end customers.

Petfood Forum will also feature an update on the US pet food specialty market by Maria Lange of GfK, a town hall discussion on the need to fund and share pet food research, and informal roundtable discussions during lunch on April 5. The conference includes several meals, receptions and other networking opportunities, a large exhibit hall with the industry’s leading suppliers, a student program with opportunities to connect with students about job and internship openings, a scientific poster display, a product and service demonstration area, and visits from pet charities.

Petfood Forum conference highlights

Sessions at Petfood Forum 2017 will include:

What’s next for pet specialty? Staying a step ahead of tomorrow’s trends

The rise of biologically appropriate pet foods: what does the science say?

Activating the new psychology of pet food marketing: millennials leading the pack in pet parent shopping behaviors

Fresh meat inclusions for dry pet food: what can you accomplish with existing solutions?

Learn how to crack the code on palatability measurement and analysis, sensory analysis and consumer insights. On Monday, April 3, Petfood Innovation Workshop will focus on these key aspects of pet food product development, using a unique, hands-on format to help participants understand and work through measuring, analyzing, understanding and using these tools.

Following an opening session from David Sprinkle of Packaged Facts on how to obtain and mine consumer insights, Workshop attendees will be transported to the Kansas State University (KSU)-Olathe Food Innovation Accelerator Lab, about 30 minutes from the Kansas City Convention Center. There, they will rotate among different stations in a lab setting, led by Greg Aldrich, PhD, research associate professor at KSU and president of Pet Food Ingredients & Technology. The stations, presented by industry suppliers, will cover topics such as palatability and sensory analysis panels, kibble textures, aroma versus shelf-life, quantitative analysis and focus groups.